Petroleum-derived compounds and compositions are found in a variety of products ranging from plastics to household cleaners as well as fuels. Given the environmental impact of these compositions, there is an increasing demand for more renewable and sustainable alternatives.
With recent advances in metabolic engineering, biology is providing viable alternatives to petroleum-derived compounds and compositions. For example, isoprenoids comprise a diverse class of compounds with over 50,000 members, and have a variety of uses including as specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals and even fuels. Most isoprenoid compounds conventionally have been synthesized from petroleum sources or extracted from plant sources. Now, a third option exists which is capable of making a desired isoprenoid compound using microbial cells. Systems for making petroleum-derived compounds and compositions have been described, for example, by U.S. Pat. No. 7,399,323; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0274523; and PCT Publication Nos. WO 2007/140339, WO 2008/140492, WO 2008/133658, and WO 2009/014636.
However, in order for a microbial-derived compound to be competitive, it should be made more cost effectively than a comparable compound obtained from naturally occurring sources. As a result, methods for obtaining the most optimal yield of a desired compound are needed. Such methods are provided herein.